A systematic survey of the ways in which local, organizational, and transnational issues in world affairs are affected by culture.

Middle East Anthropology (ANT 668)

Anthropology of the social, cultural, geographical, and political realities of the Middle East.

Multilateral Peacekeeping (ANT/PAI 701)

(Meets in New York City and Syracuse) This seminar addresses the problems and prospect of multilateral peacekeeping through a combination of peacekeeping theory and analysis and practice of operations. Through sessions at the United Nations, meetings with UN and NGO representatives, case studies of contemporary peacekeeping operations, and simulation exercises, students will explore the theory and practice of multilateral peacekeeping operations (UN and NATO) with expert practitioners from around the world.

Peace and Conflict in the Balkans (ANT 673/PAI 730)

This course is divided into three parts:

History, culture, and society of the Balkans.

Ethnic nationalism and the wars of Yugoslav dissolution.

Local effects of international humanitarian interventions, with a special focus on reconciliation and reconstruction in postwar Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Although the course concentrates on the former Yugoslavia and its successor states, other postwar regions will be referred to in collateral reading and discussion. Students are free to pursue their own interests in Balkan societies not touched upon in this course. Offered by Azra Hromadzic.

Women, War, and Peace (ANT 676)

This course, which looks at global politics, war, and violence through a gender-sensitive lens, is divided into three main parts:

Women, war, and violence in the cross-cultural and global contexts—In this part the focus is on global issues that combine gender dynamics and different forms of symbolic and structural violence, such as trafficking and prostitution, militarization of everyday life, and feminization and medicalization of poverty.

Forms of gender-based political violence, including war rapes, women in the military, and female suicide bombers.

Case studies that focus on the role of women in the processes of social reconstruction and analysis of the relationship between global processes and women’s experiences of reconciliation, rebuilding, and recovery.

Offered by Azra Hromadzic.

Communications Courses (COM, CRS)

Rhetorical Frames of War (CRS 862)

In this course, students will attend to major instances when US presidents have utilized rhetoric to frame, justify, and declare states of war. Specific attention will be paid to Abraham Lincoln (US Civil War), Woodrow Wilson (World War I), Franklin D. Roosevelt (World War II), Harry S. Truman (Cold War), and Lyndon B. Johnson (Conflict in Vietnam).

War, Media, and Propaganda (COM 600)

History Courses (HST)

History of International Relations (HST 645)

This course will offer a broad overview of the history of international relations with readings from theorists, historians, and practitioners. Using case studies it will explore major global issues, including human rights, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and energy security. The grade will be based on papers, presentations, and class participation.

The focus will be on the US role as the anchor of the international state system and how the American-led international order has faced serious challenges. The following research questions will guide the course:

What are the origins of the international system?

How has it evolved?

How have non-state actors and non-governmental organizations influenced the state-based system?

Will American hegemony continue for the foreseeable future?

The Modern Presidency (HST 615)

This course will analyze the evolution of the modern presidency and its present operation, since World War II. It also will examine the roles and influence of unelected officials (e.g., senior White House staff) and popular attitudes toward both the symbolic and the practical presidency, especially as they have been shaped by the mass media.

Perspectives on Terrorism (HST 600/LAW 790/PSC 600)

World at War (HST 615)

A study of the major developments in the military history of World War I and II.

On World War I:

The struggle for mastery in Europe to 1914.

The Schlieffen Plan.

Western front trenches by 1915.

The battles of Verdun, the Somme, and Flanders.

The war in the east and its implications for Russia.

The war at sea to Jutland and after.

The war in the air.

American entry in 1917.

On World War II:

The heritage of Versailles and the rise of Hitler.

The Fall of France and the Battle of Britain.

Barbarossa and Hitler’s run of victories in Russia.

The Holocaust.

Counter-attack in the west and the closing of the ring in Europe.

Pearl Harbor, the war in the Pacific, Iwo Jima, and the atomic bomb.

Information, Science, & Technology Courses (IST)

Homeland Security (IST 600)

This course provides students with the fundamentals of homeland security and critical infrastructure protection from an information studies perspective.

It focuses on major homeland security issues, technologies, and approaches as they relate to telecommunications, energy, banking and finance, transportation, the Internet, and emergency services.

It examines issues faced by researchers and practitioners in today’s homeland security environment.

It includes an examination of supervisory control and data acquisition infrastructure command and control systems, which are at the heart of major critical infrastructures.

It analyzes threats, vulnerabilities, and risk assessment methods, as well as the recovery and resiliency techniques needed in today’s homeland security environment.

Law Courses (LAW)

Atrocity Law (LAW 899)

International criminal law has developed at an exponential rate. Cutting edge rulings and decisions are setting the cornerstones in international criminal law for years to come. It is a rare opportunity for teachers, students, practitioners, and policymakers to be present at the beginnings of a new area of the law. Rarer still is the opportunity for students to be able to take a seminar from one of the senior international practitioners in the field, using his work as the basis for this seminar. Drawing upon unique experiences in West Africa, a great deal of the new ideas and fresh thinking began with Professor Crane’s work as the Chief Prosecutor of the international war crimes tribunal in Sierra Leone, called the Special Court for Sierra Leone.

The seminar will use, as a case study, the entire creative process in West Africa of establishing the Office of the Prosecutor of the Special Court for Sierra Leone; from planning, preparation, and executing the many tasks necessary to prosecute war criminals in a forgotten and tragic land. Using real world and contemporary cases, vignettes, and scenarios this two-credit seminar will allow students to study and research with the practitioner who created the entire plan to prosecute those who bore the greatest responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity that resulted in the murder, rape, maiming, and mutilation of more than 1.2 million human beings.

Bioethics and the Law (LAW 724)

An interdisciplinary analysis of ethical and legal problems that arise at the intersection of medical science and law. Potential topics of study include:

Ethical theory

Procreative autonomy

Assisted reproductive technologies

Distribution and allocation of medical services

Death and dying

Organ transplants

Genetic discrimination and enhancement

Cloning

Values and interests that inform decision-making

Civil Rights, Power, Privilege, and Law (LAW 758)

Focusing on race, gender, class, and sexual preference, this course examines the social, political, and legal structures that determine what civil rights are and who has them. Significant attention will be paid to the role of US Supreme Court opinions and federal legislation.

Computer Crimes (Law 759)

This course is organized around three research questions:

What conduct involving a computer is prohibited by criminal law?

What legal rules govern the collection of digital evidence in criminal investigations?

What powers do state, national, and foreign governments have to investigate and prosecute computer crimes?

More specifically, topics include:

Computer hacking

Computer viruses

Encryption

Online undercover operations

The Fourth Amendment in cyberspace

The law of Internet surveillance

Laws governing access to e-mail

Forum-shopping

Jurisdiction

National security

Federal-state relations

International cooperation in law enforcement

No advanced knowledge of computers and the Internet is required or assumed.

Federal Courts (LAW 721)

Essential functions of federal courts and relationships between federal courts and the other branches of the federal government, the states, and the individual.

Federal Criminal Law (LAW 735)

This course examines substantive federal criminal law, including:

The federal role in enforcement against crime

The consequences of jurisdictional overlap

Fraud and political corruption

Mail fraud

The Hobbs Act (robbery and extortion)

Bribery and gratuities

Drug trafficking and money laundering

Currency reporting offenses

Group and organizational crime (including RICO)

Counterterrorism enforcement

Criminal Civil Rights Statutes

Federal False Statement statutes

Obstruction of justice

Sentencing guidelines

Forfeiture

Health Law (LAW 610)

A course on law as it affects the professionals and institutions that deliver health care in the US. It primarily addresses four major concerns:

The quality of health care.

The cost of health care.

Equitable access to health care.

Respect for the patient.

Immigration Law (LAW 788)

A course that investigates the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 and issues of exclusion, deportation, and non-immigrant status.

International Criminal/Civil Practice and Procedure (LAW 872)

This course prepares a student to practice before international criminal courts and federal district courts on human rights violations and to seek redress before world judicial bodies, such as the International Court of Justice and various regional human rights courts. This seminar will use case studies to take the student from initial allegations of war crimes or crimes against humanity, to developing an investigative plan, to drafting indictments, to preparing pre-trial motions, preparing for trial, and trial practice. The student’s written work and presentations form the basis of his or her grade.

International Criminal Law (LAW 797)

International Energy Law & Policy (Law 865)

This course serves an introduction to the way the international legal regime governs the exploration, extraction, exploitation, regulation, and arbitration of natural resources (predominantly fossil fuels). The courses also focuses on resources located in the developing world.

International Human Rights Law (LAW 778)

This course provides an apparatus for analyzing the major social, legal, and political changes occurring on every continent, for critiquing governmental policies that precipitate and respond to them, for understanding the conceptual underpinnings of the human rights system, and for acquiring the tools to conduct legal and political advocacy of human rights. A research paper and oral presentation are required.

International Law (LAW 728)

This course introduces students to the basic subjects, processes, and problems of contemporary public international law. We begin by exploring the sources of this law; the traditional role of states in international law formation; and the burgeoning role of international organizations, nongovernmental organizations, and subnational municipalities in transnational legal processes.

Our attention then turns to the relationship between international law and US law, including the principles that govern (and impede) the application of international law in US courts. Rather than attempt to canvass myriad subfields that comprise contemporary public international law, we devote sustained attention to four subjects:

The protection and enforcement of proprietary rights in software and electronic works.

Privacy and security.

Content regulation.

The evidentiary use of computer records and other emerging issues in computer law.

Law of Armed Conflict (LAW 840)

Any student interested in practicing national security law or going into international criminal justice must have a clear understanding of the law of armed conflict. Humanity has attempted to regulate the horror of war for centuries. This seminar will review those attempts, focusing on the modern era. Particular attention will be paid to recent challenges related to the war on terror and the ramifications for future enforcement of these key principles. The student will have the opportunity to be involved in several practical exercises that will reinforce his or her learning and to write a paper on various cutting edge issues related to the law of armed conflict. Offered by David Crane.

Law of Genocide (LAW 863)

This seminar examines the historical, philosophical, and political origins of statutes that outlaw crimes against humanity and genocide. It then focuses on:

The first post-World War II trial of the SS personnel at the Nazi concentration camps of Bergen-Belsen and Auschwitz.

The International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg.

The Eichmann Trial in Jerusalem

The Tel Aviv trial of the head of the Jewish police of a Polish ghetto

The trial of former Serbian and Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic before the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia.

Prosecutions before the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, in particular those relating to incitement to genocide on the part of the media.

Also discussed is the impact of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and consideration of the development of the law relating to genocide and crimes against humanity over the course of the past 70 years and its contemporary implications. The goal of the seminar is to provide the students with a broad awareness of the jurisprudential, historical, political, and social dimensions of criminalizing and prosecuting ethnically, religiously, or racially motivated atrocities.

Law of the Sea (LAW 729)

This course will focus on the public international legal regime governing the seas. It will provide students with an understanding of the major maritime zones and the legal principles governing them. Special attention will be paid to the role of customary international law in the development of the major twentieth-century treaties that constitute the main body of the law of the sea; the role of international tribunals in dealing with maritime boundary dispute resolution; the growth of conservation regimes governing the marine environment, and; contemporary maritime security challenges such as drug trafficking, hijacking, piracy, and terrorism.

Military Law and Procedure (LAW 817)

Military Law and Procedure is an overview of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) and how its procedural applications ensure proper discipline within the ranks of today’s armed forces. The course will trace …

The history of discipline within the armed forces.

The development of military rule of law.

The practice aspects of advocating before courts martial.

Non-judicial and administrative aspects of military discipline.

Additionally, students will study the application of the UCMJ on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as the new challenges faced by commanders and their legal advisers in the battlefields of tomorrow.

National Security Lawyering (LAW 644)

Designed exclusively for Syracuse Law 1L students, this course introduces new lawyers to the political and bureaucratic context in which national security and counterterrorism law is practiced, for clients that are often administrative agencies or government officials. This class familiarizes students with the various executive, agency, congressional, and judicial entities that have a say in national security decisions; the legal, policy, and procedural considerations surrounding these decisions; how policy choices are translated into practical outcomes; and oversight of the effectiveness, legality, and constitutionality of national security operations. Coursework includes five practical exercises—briefings and simulations.

Perspectives on Terrorism (LAW 790/PSC 600/HST 600)

Prosecuting Terrorists (LAW 779)

This comprehensive course examines:

Principles of Counter-Terrorism Prosecutions.

Legal Authority and Creation of the Courts Systems.

Definitions of Terrorism and Selected US Code Criminal Statutes.

Criminal Offenses Under the Military Commissions Act, in International Tribunals, and in Special Courts.

The Law of Conspiracy.

Overviews of the Intelligence Community and Federal Law Enforcement Agencies.

International Investigations and US Agents Acting Abroad.

The Fourth Amendment.

Electronic Surveillance.

Interviews & Interrogation, Grand Juries, and Material Witnesses.

Jurisdiction.

Pretrial Detention.

Protecting Classified or Confidential Information.

Entrapment and Rules of Evidence.

Physical Security and Witness Protection.

Sentencing Options.

Case Studies, such as US v. Moussaoui.

Public Health Law (LAW 862)

This course deals with the law which empowers, tailors and limits federal, state and local governmental efforts to enhance and protect the health of the general population. It will make use of case studies of government educational and regulatory efforts in several areas of historic and very current controversy to examine issues which commonly arise with that law.

Refugee and Asylum Law (LAW 731)

This course will provide an overview of refugee and asylum law from an international comparative and domestic perspective. It will begin with an introduction to the history and theory of refugee protection in international law, reviewing the development of international legal protections for refugees from World War I to the present. Topics include:

The nature of US legal protections for refugees.

The (a)symmetry between US legal standards and international standards.

The evolving grounds of persecution in federal jurisprudence.

The administrative process through which asylum claims are adjudicated.

The evidentiary difficulties in determining refugee status, and the ongoing debates about resettlement and other forms of protection for asylum seekers.

The course explores the limits of refugee protection under US law, including domestic extradition and extraordinary rendition practices, as well as the availability of temporary protected status for victims of human trafficking and violent crime.

The Rule of Law in Postconflict Reconstruction (LAW 813)

The course addresses the legal challenges faced by the international community in reconstructing societies following armed conflict or other crises. The course is divided into two sections:

Part 1 focuses on core issues, including:

Defining and identifying the rule of law.

The relationship between the law and reconstruction.

The question of transitional justice and international criminal law.

International human rights.

Protecting vulnerable populations.

Regulating the security sector.

In Part 2, case studies—South Africa, Rwanda, Haiti, Sierra Leone, Afghanistan, and East Timor—test some of the theoretical premises and stimulate debate.

Smart Grid: Security, Privacy, & Economics (LAW 868/PAI 730)

This highly interdisciplinary, team-taught course covers the fundamental engineering, economic, and legal principles underlying the smart grid. It focuses on building the skills needed to design and test the protocols, policies, and specifications for enabling technologies that will guarantee the security and integrity of the smart grid while preserving personal privacy and providing maximum market flexibility with minimal need for new regulation. Students who complete the course will be able to integrate four perspectives—technology, security, economics, and law—allowing them to lead the development of the next generation electric grid.

Veterans Legal Clinic (LAW 926)

This clinical course will focus on representation of veterans in discharge upgrade cases and claims for benefits before the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

Students will have substantial opportunities to interview and counsel clients, conduct fact investigation, and advocate for veterans in a variety of settings. Students will have opportunities to assist veterans in navigating the process of applying for disability benefits, appeal decisions at the local level, and provide assistance all the way up to the US Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims in Washington, DC. Students will have primary responsibility for their cases, under the guidance of the faculty member.

In addition to case work, students will learn about military culture and the military discharge process. Students will understand the intricacies of VA administrative law process, including the impact of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury on those cases. Students also will focus on the policies behind the regulations set forth by the VA and how those intersect with the statutes set out by Congress.

War Crimes Trials (LAW 869)

This seminar will examine legal and ethical issues raised in these and other trials of Nazi war criminals and individuals accused of collaborating with the Nazis in perpetrating crimes against humanity, including the Eichmann Trial; the Auschwitz Trial of former SS officials and guards; the Tel Aviv trial of Hersz Barenblat; and the trials of Klaus Barbie (1987), Paul Touvier (1994), and Maurice Papon (1997-98).

Management Courses (BUA)

Seminar in Resource Management (BUA 600)

This course provides students a broad perspective of the core competencies of defense financial management and the application of those competencies within the US Department of Defense and with external stakeholders. The course emphasizes:

Examination of Planning, Programming, Budgeting and Execution, from a process perspective, as well as interpersonal, cross-functional, and organizational processes.

Analysis of data and how to market results to decision-makers at various organizational levels, with stress on consensus-building.

Other critical topics, including outsourcing and privatization, Base Realignment and Closure, manpower and personnel policy, fiscal law, and controls and ethics.

Political Science Courses (PSC)

Challenges in Crisis and Disaster Management (PSC 700, PAI 700)

Crises and disasters are unwelcome but also unavoidable features of modern society. They can emerge within any domain, may be of human or of natural origin, and can last anywhere from hours, to days, to months and beyond. While sometimes the crisis itself is the undoing of an organization or society, it is the way that we response to crises that often makes the difference between catastrophe and greater resilience. Challenges in Crisis and Disaster Management will examine the dynamics and processes that occur as policy makers, scientists, engineers, and citizens struggle to cope with crisis and disaster situations. We will identify the reasons why crises and disasters are so difficult to deal with as well as identify skills and practices that have proven to be effective in forecasting, preparing for, managing, communicating about and learning from crises. A wide range of crises will be examined across the course including: humanitarian emergencies, political instability and civil unrest, terrorism, natural disasters, health pandemics, industrial accidents, financial crises, and foreign policy fiascos. The workshop is dynamic, offering a combination of seminars, lectures, group exercises, and concluding with a simulation exercise.

Comparative Civil-Military Relations (PSC 785)

This course has four separate units, which are intended to introduce you to the major issues in the study of civil-military relations:

Most of these units could be courses in themselves, so this course will only scratch the surface of existing literature. To learn more, click here.

Comparative Foreign Policy (PSC 783)

A survey and critique of approaches to understanding foreign policy decision-making from the perspective of the practitioner who must deal with problems of individual choice, small groups, bureaucratic politics, and organizational constraints in the conduct of foreign policy. Case studies and simulations are used to provide first-hand experience in policy decision-making in the United States and other countries.

The course begins with an overview and critique of competing world views, such as realism and neo-realism, pluralism, globalism, feminism, and post-modern perspectives. After exploring these world views, it focuses on the challenges of decision-making. In addition, students have the opportunity to participate in policy research projects and report their findings to “clients” in other countries.

This course examines leadership, cooperation, and conflict in times of crisis. An emphasis is placed on understanding the key dynamics that influence the way that decision makers perceive and respond to crises and the kinds of processes that facilitate constructive crisis management. Real life case illustrations, exercises, and simulations are used to give participants an interactive experience and a realistic understanding of the limitations and opportunities that arise in high-pressure crisis management situations. The course familiarizes students with contrasting points of view on crisis management from across disciplinary boundaries; in particular, international relations, public administration, and public communication. Students write a case study on a crisis of their choosing that follows a pre-set research methodology developed at the Maxwell School.

International Law and Organizations (PSC 752)

An examination of the foundations and application of international law; the institutional and political capability of international organizations; and recent theoretical and methodological development.

International Relations of the Middle East (PSC 600)

This course’s objective is to introduce some of the central issues of contemporary Middle Eastern politics while discussing the region within the larger framework of international relations theory. This course will specifically emphasize the historical and contemporary interaction between the Middle East and the US. Theoretically, the course will demonstrate the interconnectedness of regional and international political conflict and change. In the process, the students will be given the opportunity to develop a deeper appreciation of the internal and external factors that contributed to the emergence of the Middle East state system as well as how they continue to influence its politics.

International Security Theory (PSC 749)

The primary purpose of this graduate course is to expose students to controversies and debates in contemporary security studies. The course will focus on various perspectives and approaches for studying international security and foreign security policy and on a number of “hot” security debates in the subfield. The course is organized thematically and will cover issues across multiple regions and time periods.

In the first part, the course considers how security studies has been delineated as a distinct subfield and approaches that focus on power, material capabilities, and rational choice versus those that emphasize ideas, identities, and institutions.

In the second part, the course analyzes debates in the subfield and considers how various theoretical approaches are applied to specific security topics, such as terrorism, military effectiveness, small wars and insurgencies, military alliances, ethnic conflict and mass killing;, and nuclear proliferation.

Course readings focus on contemporary (post-2000) literature rather than on classic texts covered in the survey course.

International Security and the Asymmetric Uses of Force (PAI 730/PSC 700)

This course will explore the theoretical, doctrinal and policy implications of postmodern warfare, focusing in particular on the emergence of asymmetrical warfare as a rational response by those unable to counter the US through conventional means. After laying the conceptual groundwork through an examination of the contemporary (and likely future) international security environment, the course will explore a variety of asymmetrical threats, including:

The use of weapons of mass destruction (nuclear, biological, and chemical).

The course will be taught as a seminar. Each member will prepare and orally defend a policy memorandum to the National Security Council inter-agency process concerning a selected asymmetric vulnerability. A second writing assignment will function as a take-home exam.

Law, Courts, and Human Rights (PSC/PAI 700)

Non-State Actors in World Affairs (PSC 757)

Analysis and assessment of the causes of transnational non-state activism, the means and goals chosen by activists, and the effects of non-state actors in international and domestic affairs.

Perspectives on Terrorism (LAW 790/PSC 600/HST 600)

Political Leadership (PSC 788/PAI 700)

This course focuses on answering the question, “What is the relationship between political leaders and the political behavior of the institutions they lead?”

It seeks to understand the kinds of leaders that are recruited and selected in various types of political systems and the effects of cultural variables on who becomes a political leader and what political leaders can do. It also explores links between leadership style and political decision making, as well as among leaders’ individual characteristics, ingredients of leadership, and conditions under which political leaders’ personalities and experiences shape political units.

Students examine the activities and leadership style by completing projects and mini-papers on a political leader of interest, focusing on:

A social background study on the leader of choice.

The leader’s style, using assessment-at-a-distance techniques.

A case study of a decision in which the leader was involved, to link leadership style and experience to political behavior.

Theories of International Relations (PSC 651)

This course explores alternative perspectives on power in the international system, covering global, state-centric and transnational approaches. Readings cover both classics and newer exemplars. While we will relate theories to contemporary controversies, students should be prepared to embark on more than a current events course. By introducing the basic vocabulary and some of the major debates of the field, the course serves as a foundation for the field exam, additional coursework, and research. Non-PSC Ph.D. students must enroll with permission from instructor.

Transnational Crime, Drugs, and Terrorism (PSC 700)

This course looks at transnational organized crime (TOC) in various guises, including drug trafficking, piracy, money laundering, and terrorism. It studies environments in which TOC is most likely to operate, including failing and failed states and Black Spots. It traces the evolution of some of the most notorious criminal and terrorist organizations over time and analyzes how they have been transforming and adapting to the changing global reality in pursuit of their goals. The course also studies different policy approaches that have been employed to counter TOC challenges.

US National Security and Foreign Policy (PAI 718/PSC 706)

The course uses readings, case studies, exercises, and guest speakers to explore multiple issues and challenges in national security and foreign policy, including:

US policy during the cold war.

Current foreign and security policy decision-making.

US national security structure.

Diplomacy and the use of force.

Relations with allies and potential adversaries.

The role of human rights and morality in US policy.

Public Administration & International Affairs Courses (PAI)

Challenges in Crisis and Disaster Management (PSC/PAI 700)

Crises and disasters are unwelcome but also unavoidable features of modern society. They can emerge within any domain, may be of human or of natural origin, and can last anywhere from hours, to days, to months and beyond. While sometimes the crisis itself is the undoing of an organization or society, it is the way that we response to crises that often makes the difference between catastrophe and greater resilience. Challenges in Crisis and Disaster Management will examine the dynamics and processes that occur as policy makers, scientists, engineers, and citizens struggle to cope with crisis and disaster situations. We will identify the reasons why crises and disasters are so difficult to deal with as well as identify skills and practices that have proven to be effective in forecasting, preparing for, managing, communicating about and learning from crises. A wide range of crises will be examined across the course including: humanitarian emergencies, political instability and civil unrest, terrorism, natural disasters, health pandemics, industrial accidents, financial crises, and foreign policy fiascos. The workshop is dynamic, offering a combination of seminars, lectures, group exercises, and concluding with a simulation exercise.

Crisis Management (PSC 759/PAI 700)

This course examines leadership, cooperation, and conflict in times of crisis. An emphasis is placed on understanding the key dynamics that influence the way that decision makers perceive and respond to crises and the kinds of processes that facilitate constructive crisis management. Real life case illustrations, exercises, and simulations are used to give participants an interactive experience and a realistic understanding of the limitations and opportunities that arise in high-pressure crisis management situations. The course familiarizes students with contrasting points of view on crisis management from across disciplinary boundaries; in particular, international relations, public administration, and public communication. Students write a case study on a crisis of their choosing that follows a pre-set research methodology developed at the Maxwell School.

Culture in World Affairs (ANT/PAI 707)

A systematic survey of the ways in which local, organizational, and transnational issues in world affairs are affected by culture.

Economic Dimensions of Global Power ( PAI 716)

This course’s central objective is to delineate and analyze the principal instruments of economic power and their effective deployment. In pursuing this perspective three crucial objectives will be met:

Students will receive a rigorous exposure to economic principles and concepts, with a relative emphasis on macroeconomics. These principles will be explicated in the context of an “open economy;” hence, the course will survey many of the key issues in international trade, commercial policy, international macroeconomics, and finance.

The course will examine competing hypotheses emerging from the major schools of thought in international relations, notably realism, liberal internationalism (hegemonic stability theory), institutionalism, and constructivism.

The course will discuss the most important historical episodes that provide an indispensable backdrop for current challenges and controversies.

Fundamentals of Conflict Studies (PAI 601)

This course provides students with a broad overview of the interdisciplinary field of conflict analysis and resolution, introduces them to faculty and the work they are doing in this field, and helps them to develop a framework for diagnosing and responding to conflicts within their own area of interest.

Over the course of the semester we will explore the diverse range of theories of social conflict found across social science disciplines.

Of particular interest will be the uncovering how our theories about the nature of social conflicts result in our making particular choices about which conflict resolution activities make sense under which conditions. Relying on a number of guest speakers, documentaries, and group projects, we will consider how conflict manifests across multiple topics and levels of analysis.

Fundamentals of Postconflict Reconstruction (PAI 719)

The goal of this class is to familiarize students with the main concepts of postconflict reconstruction, the various dimensions and goals of postconflict work, the types of actors that conduct it, the trade-offs and dilemmas they face, and the lessons learned from its application across various settings.
The course will devote considerable attention to the applied side of postconflict reconstruction; that is, the techniques and tools used by international intermediaries (states, IOs, and NGOs), as well as local stakeholders, to transition societies from violence to sustainable peace. It will also address many of the key issues that frame the debate in postconflict reconstruction work:

The tension between externally and internally generated recovery efforts.

The possibilities and weaknesses of formal peace and reconciliation commissions.

The challenges of civilian-military cooperation in postconflict zones.

The trade-offs between stability and liberty.

The quest for viable exit strategies for international actors.

In the first half of each class, students will meet in plenary session for a formal lecture given by a member of the faculty team or by a guest speaker either from within the Maxwell School or from the applied world of postconflict recovery. During the second half of each class students will meet in their respective course section for discussion of weekly readings and small group work.

Homeland Security: State and Local Government Preparedness and Response (PAI 730)

This course provides students with an understanding of state and local governments, the public safety functions that they provide, and the critical leadership competencies and collaborative relationships necessary for their successful management.

Class lectures will address theories and concepts that students explore through current events. Topics include:

Roles of state and local governments in the US federal system.

Political and social aspects of preparedness and response functions.

Structures of state and local governments and management implications.

Public safety services and functions provided by federal, state, and local governments.

Humanitarian Action: Challenges, Responses, Results (PAI 765)

This course will examine major humanitarian activities worldwide since 1992, including disasters caused by nature and by man, such as conflicts and major economic stress. While the course will be organized around those themes, it also will …

Multimedia presentation will include books, articles, and videos. Students will be graded on class participation, presentations, and written reports.

International Security (PAI 717)

This course familiarizes students with some of the major theoretical approaches to the study of international security and some of the central issues shaping current debates about security and the use of force, including causes of war; strategies for avoiding conflict; and the impact of new technologies, actors, and ideas on calculations about the use of force. The goal is to give students a solid grounding in current research and theoretical approaches and to encourage them to think about how this knowledge applies to practice.

International Security and the Asymmetric Uses of Force (PAI 730/PSC 700)

This course will explore the theoretical, doctrinal and policy implications of postmodern warfare, focusing in particular on the emergence of asymmetrical warfare as a rational response by those unable to counter the US through conventional means. After laying the conceptual groundwork through an examination of the contemporary (and likely future) international security environment, the course will explore a variety of asymmetrical threats, including:

The use of weapons of mass destruction (nuclear, biological, and chemical).

The course will be taught as a seminar. Each member will prepare and orally defend a policy memorandum to the National Security Council inter-agency process concerning a selected asymmetric vulnerability. A second writing assignment will function as a take-home exam.

Law, Courts and Human Rights (PAI/PSC 700)

Multilateral Peacekeeping (ANT/PAI 701)

(Meets in New York City and Syracuse) This seminar addresses the problems and prospect of multilateral peacekeeping through a combination of peacekeeping theory and analysis and practice of operations. Through sessions at the United Nations, meetings with UN and NGO representatives, case studies of contemporary peacekeeping operations, and simulation exercises, students will explore the theory and practice of multilateral peacekeeping operations (UN and NATO) with expert practitioners from around the world.

National Security & Defense Transformation (PAI 715)

US national security strategy and policy face great challenges in the 21st century. This course assesses these factors and possible solutions to complex defense challenges. The course approaches national security from both military and government-wide perspectives and addresses the US executive branch and Congress and global environments. Students encounter lectures, readings and original source documents, class discussions, and guest speakers from the national security community. Student products include short written papers, one-page memos, group assignments, and class presentations. Prior knowledge of national security is recommended but not required.

Negotiation of International Conflict (PAI 715)

This course examines international conflict management and resolution. Students will be introduced to a number of core theoretical perspectives on topics such as:

Conflict analysis

Communication and conflict

The role of history in conflict

Systems of enmity

Conflict intervention and prevention

Negotiation, mediation, and facilitation

Offered in Washington, DC.

Political Leadership (PSC 788/PAI 700)

This course focuses on answering the question, “What is the relationship between political leaders and the political behavior of the institutions they lead?”

It seeks to understand the kinds of leaders that are recruited and selected in various types of political systems and the effects of cultural variables on who becomes a political leader and what political leaders can do. It also explores links between leadership style and political decision making, as well as among leaders’ individual characteristics, ingredients of leadership, and conditions under which political leaders’ personalities and experiences shape political units.

Students examine the activities and leadership style by completing projects and mini-papers on a political leader of interest, focusing on:

A social background study on the leader of choice.

The leader’s style, using assessment-at-a-distance techniques.

A case study of a decision in which the leader was involved, to link leadership style and experience to political behavior.

Responding to Proliferation of WMDs (PAI 727)

This course analyzes dangers caused by the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and strategies to address this threat, such as national and international efforts ranging from diplomacy to arms control to counter-proliferation strategies.

Smart Grid: Security, Privacy, & Economics (LAW 868/PAI 730)

This highly interdisciplinary, team-taught course covers the fundamental engineering, economic, and legal principles underlying the smart grid. It focuses on building the skills needed to design and test the protocols, policies, and specifications for enabling technologies that will guarantee the security and integrity of the smart grid while preserving personal privacy and providing maximum market flexibility with minimal need for new regulation. Students who complete the course will be able to integrate four perspectives—technology, security, economics, and law—allowing them to lead the development of the next generation electric grid.

Strengthening Inter-Agency Coordination (PAI 715)

(Taught in Washington, DC)

Terrorism in the 21st Century (PAI 700)

The attacks on New York and Washington on Sept. 11, 2001 began an international campaign to combat the phenomena of transnational terrorism. This campaign has changed the way nation states and international and regional organizations interact to combat the new threat. The aim of this course is to provide the students with an introduction of how states, IGOs, and regional organizations function within the challenge that a new (asymmetric, fourth-generation) brand of terrorism poses to the world. Offered by Isaac Kfir.

UN Organizations: Managing for Change (PAI 764)

This course analyzes the processes for change in UN organizations. It begins with brief summaries of types of UN organizations, including their purposes, funding systems and governance structures. Half of the course will focus on the process of change in UN organizations funded by assessed contributions, highlighting the UN secretariat. The other half of the course will highlight the World Food Program as an example of the process of change in a voluntarily funded agency. Students will be graded on class participation, memos, a final paper, and occasional unannounced class assignments.

US Defense Strategy, Military Posture, and Combat Operations (PAI 739)

This course examines the defense strategy of the US and its allies and its implementation by military forces from 2001 to the present. Topics include:

Governance and execution of national strategy by the US Department of Defense, the Joint Staff, and combatant commanders.

National command and control of military forces.

National-level strategic guidance by the National Command Authority.

International security dynamics and military posture related to terrorism and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

Case studies of the planning and execution of combat and humanitarian assistance operations with allied forces in Afghanistan, Iraq, Africa, Haiti, the Far East, Colombia, and on the high seas.

US Intelligence Community: Governance and Practice (PAI 738)

This course examines the evolution of the US Intelligence Community since its inception in 1947 through the present day. Key phases and
specific events will be explored, including efforts during …

The Cold War.

The Cuban Missile Crisis.

The Vietnam Conflict.

The Church Committee.

The Balkans Conflicts.

Pre- and post-9/11 operations.

The 9/11 and WMD Commissions and the legislative overhaul mandated by Congress in 2004.

The course also will review governance and oversight of the intelligence community by the executive, legislative, and judicial branches, and students will study the functional elements of intelligence tradecraft (human intelligence, signals intelligence, imagery analysis, etc.), and engagement with international counterparts. The class will participate in case studies that students will evaluate, provide briefings for, and make recommendations in regard to, both in terms of analysis- and intelligence-driven decision-making on policy and operations.

US National Security and Foreign Policy (PAI 718/PSC 706)

The course uses readings, case studies, exercises, and guest speakers to explore multiple issues and challenges in national security and foreign policy, including:

US policy during the cold war.

Current foreign and security policy decision-making.

US national security structure.

Diplomacy and the use of force.

Relations with allies and potential adversaries.

The role of human rights and morality in US policy

War and the Liberal Conscience (PAI 635)

The course investigates how the ‘liberal conscience’ (Michael Howard) influenced the armed interventions and wars the West has undertaken since the end of the Cold War. This conscience, one could argue, has been critical to the framing European and US ideas about war since the French Revolution. Moreover, with the end of the Cold War, when the West seemingly saw off its last major ideological competitor, liberal ideas and values have been offered an unprecedented opportunity to assert themselves and finally make our military establishments a true and global ‘force for good’. The course will examine these claims in their conceptual and historical context and consider how liberal norms and values have fared in the exposure to actual conflict since 1989.

Who Will Rule the 21st Century? (PAI 700)

This seminar examines the economic success, military strength and rise and fall of great powers within the international system to help students assess the emerging power structures of the 21st century and determine how they think the United States as well as other countries can best adapt to—or alter—the tectonic shifts that are already evident and only likely to intensify.